Max Verstappen's manager makes his feelings known about the driver's future with Red Bull
Max Verstappen's manager has made his feelings known about the driver's future with Red Bull, claiming that while the Dutchman is loyal to the squad, a lot would depend on the car the team gives him. Now a four-time world champion, Verstappen was given his first opportunity in F1 by the Austrian brand in 2015.
The driver was picked up from F3, where he finished third in his rookie year, and put straight into F1. Since then, he has been affiliated with Red Bull and became the team's lead driver in 2019 when Daniel Ricciardo left the squad, and has been an integral part of their setup.
That setup is exactly what helped Max Verstappen win the 2021 F1 title, as he battled seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and won in the last race. Since 2021, the Dutchman has gone on to be undefeated in the title race. At Las Vegas, he sealed his fourth world title, albeit in a Red Bull car that lost its performance advantage after the first quarter of the season.
Even though Max Verstappen has a contract until 2028, there have been rumors of the driver having a conversation with rival teams. Could his future still be in question? His manager, Raymond Vermeulen, thinks that it all comes down to the kind of machinery the driver gets from the team. In conversation with RacingNews365, he said,
"If he has the material, he will execute his job, but in the end, a lot can happen. You can have a safety car, you can have a crash, you can be unlucky like in Miami with a safety car, so it is good that it is done and dusted. Max is in the peak of his career, so if he has the material, he will deliver, but of course, [2025], will be more competitive, all the teams will be there."
He added,
"The car is at the end of its evolution since it is the last year for the regulations, so everyone will give it a go, even us as well. We will see where the performance is, Max wants to have to best performance package for the moment. We have four championships here, we are loyal to Red Bull, but of course, we want to keep going and we need a competitive package."
Max Verstappen wants to continue with Red Bull
In a recent interview, Max Verstappen expressed a desire to continue working with the team and see out his F1 career. The Dutch driver has 4 more years on his contract even though there are a few exit clauses put in place.
In conversation with the BBC, the driver said that he would want to continue driving for the team and see out his contract, as it was Red Bull that gave him his first opportunity in the sport. He said,
“My desire, and honestly this is how I saw it when I signed my new deal, is it will be an amazing story if basically I did my whole F1 career with one team. I think that is pretty special, because I do value my time also at Toro Rosso [now RB, in 2015], but I was already part of the whole Red Bull family."
Max Verstappen's future has become such a hot topic ever since he won his first title that it will be very interesting to see what approach he ultimately takes in his career.